WHITE PAPER Analysis Guide for Electronics/Electrical Product Designers inspiration SUMMARY In this paper we outline the key design performance issues facing electronics and electrical product manufacturers and identify the ben- efits of using SolidWorks® Simulation software for electronics and electrical product design. The paper outlines the types of analyses that SolidWorks Simulation software can perform and proves why these analyses are critical to electrical and electronic product engineering. Introduction Analysis and simulation software has become an indispensable tool for the development, certification, and success of electronics and electrical products. In addition to having to meet federal requirements, such as standards regulating electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and product safety, electronics and electri- cal products manufacturers must meet various industry standards, such as the Bellcore standard for telecommunications equipment and standards governing the reliability of printed circuit boards (e.g., all PCBs must be able to withstand 21 pounds of load in the center). Combined with customer and market demand for smaller, more compact, and lighter products, these requirements create competitive pressures that make flawless, reliable development of electronics and electrical products an absolute necessity. FIGURE 1: THE USE OF CFD MAKES IT POSSIBLE TO ELIMINATE EXPENSIVE PHYS- IcaL PROTOTYpeS, AND FIND SERIOUS FLAWS MUCH eaRLIER IN THE deSIGN PROCESS. Today’s electronics/electrical product manufacturers use analysis software to simulate and assess the performance of a variety of product designs, including consumer electronics, appliances, sophisticated instrumentation, electronics components, printed circuit boards, RF equipment, motors, drives, electrical con- trols, micro electromechanical systems (MEMS), optical networking equipment, electronics packaging, and semiconductors. Analysis software enables engi- neers to simulate design performance and identify and address potential design problems before prototyping and production. Analysis at the forefront of electronics and electronical product development Whether designing miniaturized electromechanical systems, wireless telecom- munications products, or electronics packaging, engineers who develop elec- tronics/electrical products face two common challenges: time and space. No matter what the final product, engineers designing products in this area are being asked to make products smaller and get them to market faster. Working in this type of environment, engineers have little time to produce multiple prototypes and use trial and error to gain a better understanding of the physical behavior of their designs. Yet, that information is vital for producing innovative, high-quality products. AnaLysis GUIDE FOR ELectrOnics/ELectricaL PRODUct Designers 1 Analysis tools help electronics/electrical product designers understand the physical behavior of their designs quickly without resorting to expensive pro- totypes and physical tests that extend the product design cycle. Consider the Bellcore network equipment requirements in the telecommunications industry as just one example. FIGURE 2: COMPUtatIONAL FLOW DYNAMICS (CFD) ANALYSIS IS USEFUL FOR UNdeRStaNDING THE EFFect OF AIR FLOW ON teMpeRatURE DISTRIBUTION IN ELECTRIC COMPONENTS, SUCH AS THE PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD SHOWN HERE. Established by telephone utilities to ensure reliable telephone service during times of natural disaster, such as an earthquake, the Bellcore standards require that telecommunications products continue to perform under certain physical conditions—high temperatures, high humidity levels, and episodes of structural vibration—as well as meet other provisions, such as electromagnetic compat- ibility (EMC) standards. All manufacturers of electronics/electrical products can benefit from analysis and simulation technology because it helps engineers to understand the physi- cal behavior and limitations of their designs without expending the time and effort required to develop multiple prototypes. Application areas • Electronics Packaging: housings, enclosures, consoles, racks • Printed Circuit Boards: semiconductors, heat sinks, MEMS • Cooling Systems: fans, motors, air flows • RF Equipment: antennas, transmitters, switches • Wireless/Telecommunications Devices: cellular telephones, radios, routers • Optical Networking Equipment: amplifiers, switches, relays • Electrical Components: automotive, transistors, capacitors, switches • Office and IT Equipment: computers, servers, printers, copiers • Appliances: washers, dryers, refrigerators, stoves • Consumer Electronics: laptops, PDAs, stereos, DVD players, digital cameras AnaLysis GUIDE FOR ELectrOnics/ELectricaL PRODUct Designers 2 FIGURE 3: ANALYSIS HELPS ENGINEERS CREATE EFFECTIVE DESIGNS FOR ELEC- TRONICS PACKAGING. BALDOR ELECTRIC COMPANY USES SOLIDWORKS ANAL- YSIS SOFTWARE TO MAKE SURE THE DIE-caST Heat SINKS THat IT PRODUceS FOR ITS VARIABLE-SPEED DRIVES PERFORM AT AN OPTIMAL LEVEL. Scope of analysis • Design verification/validation: Will this design work? Will this design behave the way I think it will? • Relative merit: Which of these candidate designs is the best? How can I weed out and eliminate poor-functioning designs? • Miniaturization: Whatís the impact of physical phenomena when I make this smaller? • Proof of concept: Testing radical new concepts without producing prototypes. • Durability and reliability: Fatigue/failure analysis, drop tests, shake simulations. • Fulfilling industry/regulatory standards: Bellcore, Federal Communications Commission (FCC), EMC/EMI compliance. FIGURE 4: DELPHI PACKARD ELECTRIC SYSTEMS, A LEADING SUPPLIER OF AUTO- MOTIVE ELECTRONICS COMPONENTS, USES SOLIDWORKS SIMULATION ANALY- SIS SOFTWARE TO OPTIMIZE DESIGNS, SUCH AS THESE TWO CAST ALUMINUM PLATES WITH ELASTOMER-BONDED SURFACES. FIGURE 5: SIZE IS NO OBJect WHEN IT COMES TO ANALYSIS. EVEN SMALL SEMICONDUCTOR CHIPS CAN BE MESHED (ABOVE) AND ANALYZED (BELOW). AnaLysis GUIDE FOR ELectrOnics/ELectricaL PRODUct Designers 3 Tight integration with 3D CAD SolidWorks Simulation analysis software is tightly integrated with all major CAD systems and is directly integrated with the SolidWorks CAD system, the standard for 3D design. This means that engineers can use SolidWorks Simulation analysis software directly on the CAD model and do not need to remodel designs to take advantage of analysis technology. “What if” studies Designing an electronics/electrical product presents unique engineering chal- lenges. What are the loads and operating conditions? Is temperature an impor- tant consideration? Does the cooling system perform adequately? Are there electromagnetic and vibration issues? Using analysis to conduct “what if” studies—what if I tried this material, or what if I used this type of mechanism—can help engineers identify the best material and mechanical design for a particular function. Using a computational model and analysis software to perform “what if” evaluations saves time and money and can help to improve design performance. By coupling analysis studies with Configuration Management, the designer can quickly converge on the best-form design solution over many degrees of freedom. FIGURE 6: TALITY, THE WORLD’s LARGEST INDEPENDENT ELECTRONICS DESIGN PROVIDER, USES SOLIDWORKS STRUCTURAL, THERMAL, AND FLUID-FLOW CAPABILI- TIES TO OPTIMIZE ELECTRONIC PACKAGING DESIGNS. Powerful analysis types—thermal, vibration, fluid-flow, nonlinear Reliability, temperature management, and miniaturization are key requirements for electronics and electrical product designs. Companies that use analysis to manage heat, validate miniaturized concepts, and build in reliability at the initial design stage have an advantage over competitors. SolidWorks Simulation analy- sis software helps to ensure that these considerations are addressed early in the product development cycle, enabling manufacturers to accelerate time-to- market and reduce development costs while producing higher quality products with fewer warranty issues. Using a range of analysis technologies, SolidWorks Simulation software helps engineers to ensure that a productís behavior will be within design limits, reliable, and free of the risk of thermal, electromagnetic, or stress-induced failures. AnaLysis GUIDE FOR ELectrOnics/ELectricaL PRODUct Designers 4 FIGURE 7: KRYOTecH, INC. LEVERageS SOLIdWORKS SIMULatION THERMAL AND FLUID-FLOW capaBILITIES IN THE deSIGN OF ITS INNOVatIVE COOLING SYSTEMS FOR PERSONAL COMPUTERS. • Thermal analysis is critically important in electronics and electrical product design. Managing temperature, whether itís on a printed circuit board, within a semiconductor, or inside a computer housing, is one of the primary design challenges an engineer must overcome. SolidWorks Simulation analysis software can perform steady-state or transient thermal analysis on parts or assemblies. After meshing the design, the designer sets any relevant con- straints, then sets power or heat flux conditions associated with a geometrical feature of the model. Because component material properties include thermal conductivity, coefficient of thermal expansion, and heat capacity, the designer gets a realistic prediction of temperature distributions under prescribed loads and operating conditions. • Vibration analysis is used in the design of many types of electronics and electrical products, especially components used in moving systems, such as airplanes, automobiles, and handheld consumer electronics. Reliable